The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1887-11-19
StOOping Forward.


STOPPING Forward.
On the subject of STOPPING forward
the London Lancet gives this advice
Every one knows that STOPPING forward,
particularly after rising quickly from
the bed in the morning, when the stom'
ach is empty and the heart has less
than ordinary support from the viscers
below the diaphragm, is very apt to oc
casion form of faintness with vertigo
not unlike that which occurs in seaslck'
ness. We do not at the moment speak
of the faintness and giddincss from
cerebral an@mia, which are directly
consequently upon suddenly assuming
the erect after long continuing in the
recumbent posture, but of the more
alarming sensation of being in the
centre of objects which are rapidly pass
ing away, usually from left to right,
with loss of power to stand or even sit,
and an almost nightmare feeling OF in
ability to call for help or do anything to
avert catastrophe, while throughout
the experience the sufferer retains pain
fully acute consciousness. This, we say,
is familiar rs one, at least, of the effects
not uncommenly produced by STOPPING
forward under the special conditions in
Heated.
With many other varieties of the ver-
tigo consequent upon the heart weak
ness or cerebral anGmia observation or
experience had made us all acquainted.
We cannot, however, help thinking
that the consequences OF even partial
compression of veins of the neck, offer.
ing an obstacle to the return of blood
from the bead, with its important or
fans, are not so well recognized. The
peculiar form, or, more accurately. the
everal forms, of headache distinctly
,aused in this way when the head is
ong bowed forward on the chest, bend
NC the neck on itself, cannot fail to oc-
tur to every one; nor will the high ten
sion of the eyeball, the turgd and
heavy eyelids. the snuf1ling nose. the
deafness, with buzzing or throbblng In
he ears, the heavy breathing and the
buffed and perhaps flushed or darken-
ID color of the face, resulting from the
Instructed venous circulation through
he Bonded neck be forgotten. There
|.re other and more perlous, though
secondary, effects of leaning forward
when the heart is weak or the blood
Eessels are not so strong as they ought
O be, which should not be overlooked.
Beyond question the extra strain
brown upon the apparatus OF the cir
,ulation by anything that impedes the
rec passage of blood, through almost
my part of the venous system. is more
severe and dangerous than physical
" equal strain thrown on the arteries.
At least this so in adult life, and with.
but going further into details in connec-
ion with the modns operandt of tho
mischief TO which we point, it may DO
permissible to urge that the subject is
Ine to which attention NAV be usefully
directed. The weakly and those who
IRE not unlikely to have hearts readily
bvcrburdened, and blood vessels
stretched hey ond recovery, or even rupt-
lred, should be warned quite as earn
estly against suddenly assuming or too
ong retaining postures which, how
Iyer slightly and partially, impede the
return Of blood through the veins.
We know how prolonged sitting may
kause the veins of the legs to become
iistended, and either give way or per-
nit the extravasation of their contents.
When this sort OF thing happens, even
hough in comparatively trliling degree,
T n the case of vessels directly Injected
with such delicate organs as the eye,
the ear and the brain. it is easy TO see
that the results may be very serious in
their character, and probably few pos
lures commonly taken up by persons
who lead some what sedentry lives are
| so prone to do mischief unnoticed as
that of leaning forward as at work at
| A table which is not sufficiently high to
insure the head being so raised that the
| veins of the neck may not be in any
way'compressed, or the return OF blood
from the head embarrassed or delayed.
We see reason to believe that if this APP
parently small matter were generally
understood there would be fewer head
and heart troubles, and we will 60 so
far as to say that some lives now lost
would be saved.